Everything You Need to Know About Mexico's Massive Earthquake Right Now

While northeastern Mexico braced itself for the impending landfall of Hurricane Katia, another natural disaster struck while many slept when a magnitude-8.1 earthquake registered overnight. The quake struck at 12:49 a.m. EST, with an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, about 57 miles southwest of the coastal town of Pijijiapan in the southern state of Chiapas, based on U.S. Geological Survey reports.

Already, at least 32 people have been declared dead, according to The Washington Post, and Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto said the earthquake was the strongest the country had experienced in almost a century. Tremors could be felt as far aways as Mexico City, some 600 miles from the epicenter near the Mexico-Guatemala border, where video evidence even shows the capital's famed Angel of Independence statue swaying during the tremor.

As the Los Angeles Times notes, the earthquake was slightly stronger than the deadly one that struck Mexico City in 1985 and killed upwards of 10,000 people. Among the hardest hit by Friday's quake was the state of Oaxaca, which in recent years, has become more popular as a tourist destination. The state's governor, Alejandro Murat, confirmed 23 deaths, 17 of them in the town of Juchitán alone, and Associate Press reports show a razed Anel Hotel in Matias Romero, though so far, there have been no reported casualties in the collapse.

Along with the main earthquake, 62 aftershocks as strong as 7.2 on the Richter scale could be felt around the country by an estimated 50 million people, and tsunami waves of 3.3 feet registered near Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, while 2 million lost power, though most had it returned soon after.

For anyone traveling to Mexico in the near future, staying up to date with local authorities, including Mexico's National System for Civilian Protection, will provide the fastest alerts. For information in English, the U.S. State Department's provides updates through its travel Twitter account, while the U.S. Embassy in Mexico offers periodic updates on its website. Individual airlines promise to provide notice of any significant delays or cancellations, though at this time, Flight Aware shows no major changes to air traffic to and from Mexican airports.

As always, it's a good idea when traveling abroad to register with the U.S. State Department's STEP program to get the latest travel news and alerts, and to stay in touch with friends and family via social media.